Monolithic ceramic electronic component

ABSTRACT

Solder-repellent portions are each arranged so as to extend over all or substantially all of a portion of a corresponding one of outer electrodes provided on a corresponding one of end surfaces of a monolithic ceramic electronic component and partially on portions of the outer electrode provided over two side surfaces of the monolithic ceramic electronic component. When the monolithic ceramic electronic component is mounted on the circuit board, solder does not adhere to the end surfaces and portions of the outer electrode provided on portions of the two side surfaces. Thus, expansion and contraction that occur as a result of application of an AC voltage is not transmitted or is not significantly transmitted to the circuit board. Consequently, vibrations of the circuit board are significantly reduced or prevented.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to monolithic ceramic electroniccomponents, and particularly to a monolithic ceramic capacitormanufactured by a method of reducing acoustic noise generated when anelectric field is applied to the monolithic ceramic capacitor mounted ona circuit board.

2. Description of the Related Art

As electronic devices produce increasingly less noise, acoustic noisehas become more noticeable, caused by vibrations of monolithic ceramiccapacitors (referred to as “monolithic capacitors”, below) in powercircuits or other components of various apparatuses, such as laptopcomputers, mobile phones, or digital cameras.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-186884describes that acoustic noise occurs when an AC voltage is applied to amonolithic capacitor mounted on a circuit board due to electrostrictivevibrations of the monolithic capacitor propagating through the circuitboard.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are drawings illustrated on an online web page“Examples of Noise Countermeasures” of Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.,searched on Mar. 1, 2012, through Internet URL“http://www.murata.co.jp/products/capacitor/solution/naki.ht ml”. Whenan AC voltage is applied to a monolithic capacitor 110, the monolithiccapacitor 110 expands and contracts in directions indicated by the boldarrows, as illustrated in FIG. 5, due to the electrostrictive effect ofthe ferroelectric ceramic of the monolithic capacitor 110. In FIG. 5,the WT cross section denotes a cross section defined by the width andthe thickness of the monolithic capacitor 110. The LT cross sectiondenotes a cross section defined by the length and the thickness of themonolithic capacitor 110. The LW cross section denotes a cross sectiondefined by the length and the width of the monolithic capacitor 110. Thebroken lines indicate the extent to which the monolithic capacitor 110expands and contracts when viewed in these cross sections.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, when an AC voltage is applied to themonolithic capacitor 110 that is mounted on the circuit board 101 via asolder 102, the monolithic capacitor 110 expands and contracts and thisexpansion and contraction of the monolithic capacitor 110 leads todeformation of the circuit board 101 via the solder 102. Thus, thecircuit board 101 vibrates in such directions that the surface of thecircuit board 101 rises and falls. When the cycle of vibrations of thecircuit board 101 falls within a frequency range (20 Hz to 20 kHz) thatis audible to human beings, human ears perceive the vibrations asacoustic noise.

These are problems not only for the monolithic capacitor 110 having twoouter electrodes 114 but also for a three-terminal monolithic capacitorhaving three outer electrodes 114. Further, these problems can occur notonly in the monolithic capacitor 110, but also in any monolithic ceramicelectronic component including a monolithic LC filter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide amonolithic ceramic electronic component that overcomes the problemsdescribed above.

A monolithic ceramic electronic component according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention includes a ceramic laminate bodyincluding dielectric ceramic layers and internal electrodes alternatelystacked on top of one another, the ceramic laminate body including anouter periphery defined by an upper surface, a lower surface, two sidesurfaces, and two end surfaces that are perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to the upper surface, the lower surface, and the two sidesurfaces; and an outer electrode disposed on one of the two end surfacesand portions of the upper and lower surfaces and portions of the twoside surfaces that are continuous with the one of the two end surfacesso as to be electrically connected to the internal electrodes. The outerelectrode includes a solder-repellent portion to which molten solderdoes not adhere and a solder-receivable portion to which the moltensolder adheres. The solder-repellent portion includes a main portionthat extends over all or substantially all of a portion of the outerelectrode provided over the one of the two end surfaces and strip-shapedportions extending at least partially over portions of the outerelectrode provided over the portions of the two side surfaces. Thesolder-receivable portion is provided in a portion of the outerelectrode excluding the solder-repellent portion. A dimension of each ofthe strip-shaped portions extending in a direction from the uppersurface to the lower surface is less than a dimension of the mainportion extending in the direction from the upper surface to the lowersurface.

When a direction in which the dielectric ceramic layers and internalelectrodes are stacked defines a vertical direction of the monolithicceramic electronic component, the solder-receivable portion maypreferably include upper and lower portions extending in the verticaldirection that are symmetrical with each other.

The solder-repellent portion may preferably include a solder-resistantfilm attached to the outer electrode.

The solder-resistant film may preferably be made of a heat-resistantresin that is not deformed at a soldering temperature.

The solder-repellent portion may preferably be defined by an oxidizedportion of the outer electrode.

The solder-receivable portion may preferably be provided in a portion ofthe outer electrode that is exposed to the outside.

When a direction in which the dielectric ceramic layers and the internalelectrodes are stacked defines a vertical direction of the monolithicceramic electronic component, the solder-repellant portion maypreferably include upper and lower portions extending in the verticaldirection that are symmetrical with each other.

The outer electrode may preferably include three layers made of copper,nickel, and tin, respectively, or three layers made of copper, nickel,and gold, respectively.

The dielectric layers may preferably be made of a ferroelectricmaterial.

The dielectric layers may preferably be made of barium titanate.

The internal electrodes may preferably be made of silver-palladium.

The solder-receivable portion may preferably include upper and lowerportions disposed above and below the strip-shaped portions.

A monolithic ceramic electronic component according to another preferredembodiment of the present invention includes a laminate body includingdielectric ceramic layers and internal electrodes alternately stacked ontop of one another, and an outer periphery defined by an upper surface,a lower surface, two side surfaces, and two end surfaces that areperpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the upper surface, thelower surface, and the two side surfaces; and an outer electrodedisposed on one of the two end surfaces and portions of the upper andlower surfaces and portions of the two side surfaces that are continuouswith the one of the two end surfaces so as to be electrically connectedto the internal electrodes. The outer electrode includes asolder-repellent portion to which molten solder does not adhere and asolder-receivable portion to which the molten solder adheres. The thesolder-repellent portion includes a main portion that extends over allor substantially all of a portion of the outer electrode provided overthe one of the two end surfaces and strip-shaped portions extending atleast partially over portions of the outer electrode provided over thetwo side surfaces. The solder-receivable portion is arranged topartially extend over the portions of the outer electrode provided overthe portions of the two side surfaces. A dimension of each of thestrip-shaped portions extending in a direction from the upper surface tothe lower surface is less than a dimension of the main portion extendingin the direction from the upper surface to the lower surface.

In the monolithic ceramic electronic component according to variouspreferred embodiments of the present invention, each solder-repellentportion includes a main portion that extends over all or substantiallyall of a portion of the outer electrode provided over the one of the twoend surfaces and strip-shaped portions extending at least partially overportions of the outer electrode provided over the portions of the twoside surfaces. Thus, molten solder is prevented from adhering to the endsurface and the portions of the side surfaces. Consequently, acousticnoise generated when an AC voltage is applied to the monolithic ceramicelectronic component mounted on the circuit board is reduced. Further,since each solder-receivable portion is provided in a portion of thecorresponding outer electrode other than the solder-repellent portion,the monolithic ceramic electronic component can be firmly connected tothe circuit board after being mounted on the circuit board.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a monolithic ceramic capacitor according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the monolithic ceramic capacitorillustrated in FIG. 1 is mounted on a circuit board.

FIG. 3 illustrates a monolithic ceramic capacitor according to amodification of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in whichthe solder-repellent portion illustrated in FIG. 1 is modified.

FIG. 4 illustrates a monolithic ceramic capacitor according to a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which an AC voltage is applied to a knownmonolithic ceramic capacitor.

FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which an AC voltage is applied to theknown monolithic ceramic capacitor mounted on a circuit board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First Preferred Embodiment

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a monolithic ceramic capacitor 10 includes aceramic laminate body 13, including a plurality of alternating layers ofdielectric ceramic layers 11 and internal electrodes 12, and a pair ofouter electrodes 14 provided on both end portions of the ceramiclaminate body 13. The outer periphery of the ceramic laminate body 13 isdefined by an upper surface 8, a lower surface 9, two side surfaces 16,and two end surfaces 15 extending perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to the upper surface 8, the lower surface 9, and the twoside surfaces 16. The internal electrodes 12 are arranged such that eachof two adjacent electrodes 12 faces each other with one dielectricceramic layer 11 interposed therebetween. One of the opposing internalelectrodes 12 is connected to a corresponding one of the outerelectrodes 14, and the other one of the opposing internal electrodes 12is connected to the other of the opposing outer electrodes 14. The outerelectrode 14 is primarily arranged so as to cover a corresponding one ofthe end surfaces 15 of the ceramic laminate body 13, but also coversportions of the upper surface 8, the lower surface 9, and the two sidesurfaces 16 that are continuous with the end surface 15. Another outerelectrode 14 is similarly arranged over the other end surface 15.

Herein, for convenience purposes, the monolithic ceramic capacitor 10 isreferred to as a monolithic capacitor 10, the dielectric ceramic layer11 is referred to as a dielectric layer 11, and the ceramic laminatebody 13 is referred to as a laminate body 13. In a description of theorientation of the monolithic capacitor 10, the direction in which thedielectric layers 11 are stacked is referred to as a vertical direction,the direction in which the pair of outer electrodes 14 are arranged isreferred to as a lengthwise direction, and the direction perpendicularor substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction and thelengthwise direction is referred to as a widthwise direction.

The laminate body 13 preferably has a cuboid or substantially cuboidshape with the corners thereof rounded off, for example. The outerelectrodes 14 provided on both end surfaces 15 of the laminate body 13also have rounded portions so as to correspond to the shape of thecorners of the laminate body 13. However, in the first preferredembodiment of the present invention, each end surface 15 of the laminatebody 13 may include the above-described rounded portions in addition toa flat portion. Thus, the end surfaces 15 are illustrated as being flatin FIG. 1 and the rounded portions are not illustrated.

In the first preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the outerelectrodes 14 of the monolithic capacitor 10 each preferably include asolder-repellent portion 17 and a solder-receivable portion 18. Thesolder-repellent portion 17 is a portion that does not allow moltensolder to adhere thereto when the molten solder is brought into contactwith the solder-repellent portion 17 from the outside of the monolithiccapacitor 10. The solder-receivable portion 18 is a portion that allowsthe molten solder to adhere thereto. The solder-repellent portion 17 ispreferably arranged so as to extend over all or substantially all of aportion of the corresponding outer electrode 14 provided on the endsurface (this portion will also be referred to as an end surface portionof the outer electrode 14) and so as to extend partially over portionsof the outer electrode 14 provided on the upper surface 8, the lowersurface 9, and the side surfaces 16 (these portions will be respectivelyreferred to as an upper surface portion, a lower surface portion, andside surface portions, below). The solder-receivable portion 18 isdefined as a portion of the outer electrode 14 excluding thesolder-repellent portion 17.

Specifically, each solder-repellent portion 17 is preferably defined bya solder-resistant film 19 that is attached to the outer electrode 14.The solder-resistant film 19 is attached to all or substantially all ofa portion of the outer electrode 14 that continuously extends from theend surface portion to a portion of the side surface portion, the uppersurface portion, and the lower surface portion. For easy understanding,the solder-resistant film 19 is illustrated as being partially removedin FIG. 1 to show the solder-repellent portion 17 underneath. Thesolder-receivable portion 18 is defined as a portion of the outerelectrode 14 not covered by the solder-resistant film 19. Thesolder-repellent portion 17 is preferably configured such that upper andlower portions of the solder-repellent portion 17 are symmetrical witheach other and the solder-receivable portion 18 also preferably has ashape such that upper and lower portions of the solder-receivableportion 18 are symmetrical with each other.

Preferably, the solder-resistant film 19 is made of a material that isnot deformed at the soldering temperature (for example, approximately139° C. or higher), such as a heat-resistant resin, for example. Eachouter electrode 14 preferably includes, for example, three layers ofcopper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and tin (Sn) or copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), andgold (Au). The materials of the outer electrodes 14 allow the moltensolder to adhere thereto when the molten solder is brought into contacttherewith. Examples of the material of the molten solder include atin-silver-copper (Sn—Ag—Cu) alloy.

The dielectric layers 11 are preferably made of a ferroelectricmaterial, such as barium titanate, for example. Therefore, when an ACvoltage is applied to the pair of outer electrodes 14 of the monolithiccapacitor 10, the polarities of the dielectric layers 11 are reversedand thus the electrostrictive phenomenon occurs.

FIG. 2 illustrates a state where the monolithic capacitor 10 accordingto the first preferred embodiment is mounted on a circuit board 1 via asolder 2. As illustrated in FIG. 2, molten solder adheres to thesolder-receivable portions 18 of the monolithic capacitor 10 and fillets3 are provided so as to connect the solder-receivable portions 18 to thecircuit board 1. However, the molten solder does not adhere to thesolder-repellent portions 17, that is, the all or substantially all ofthe end surfaces 15 and a portion of the side surfaces 16 and, thus, thefillets 3 are not provided over these portions.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, when an AC voltage is applied to themonolithic capacitor 10, not only the end surfaces 15 but also the sidesurfaces 16 expand and contract. According to the first preferredembodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the molten solder does not adhereto the end surfaces 15 or to portions of the side surfaces 16. Thus, theexpansion and contraction that occurs as a result of the application ofan AC voltage is not substantially transmitted to the circuit board 1.Consequently, vibrations of the circuit board 1 are reduced and acousticnoise is much less likely to be generated.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the molten solder adheres to thesolder-receivable portions 18 of the outer electrodes 14. Thus, thefillets 3 are provided so as to connect the solder-receivable portions18 to the circuit board 1, thus securely connecting the monolithiccapacitor 10 and the circuit board 1 to one another.

In addition, preferably, the solder-receivable portion 18 is configuredto include upper and lower portions that are symmetrical with eachother. When the monolithic capacitor 10 is configured in this manner,each fillet 3 provided on the corresponding solder-receivable portion 18will have substantially the same shape regardless of whether the uppersurface of the monolithic capacitor 10 faces upward or downward when themonolithic capacitor 10 is mounted on the circuit board 1. Consequently,the amplitudes of vibrations transmitted to the circuit board 1 aresubstantially the same in both cases, thereby effectively reducingvibrations regardless of whether the upper surface of the capacitor 10faces upward or downward.

In addition, as described above, the material of the solder-resistantfilm 19 is preferably a heat-resistant resin that is not deformed at thesoldering temperature. Thus, a portion to which the solder is not to beadhered is maintained free from the solder at the soldering temperaturewhen the monolithic capacitor 10 is mounted on the circuit board 1.

Here, a non-limiting example of a method of manufacturing the monolithiccapacitor 10 according to the first preferred embodiment is described.First, an internal electrode 12 made of a material such as asilver-palladium (Ag—Pd) alloy, for example, is preferably printed onthe surface of a ceramic green sheet made of a barium-titanate-basedmaterial, for example. The printing operation is repeated until apredetermined number of ceramic green sheets each including the internalelectrode 12 are stacked on top of one another. Then, the stacked sheetsare fired at a predetermined temperature to form a laminate body 13.Further, conductive paste is applied to both end portions of thelaminate body 13 and the laminate body 13 is fired to form outerelectrodes 14. The process described thus far is the same orsubstantially the same as that in a typical monolithic-capacitormanufacturing method.

In order to obtain the monolithic capacitor 10 according to the firstpreferred embodiment, solder-resistant films 19 are attached to all orsubstantially all of both end surface portions of the outer electrodes14 and to a portion of the upper surface portion, the lower surfaceportion, and the side surface portions of the outer electrodes 14. Thesolder-resistant films 19 are preferably attached to these portions bydipping, for example. Specifically, one of the end surfaces 15 and aportion of the upper surface 8, the lower surface 9, and the sidesurfaces 16 are dipped in a bath filled with a paste material of thesolder-resistant film 19. Subsequently, the monolithic capacitor 10 iswithdrawn from the bath and the paste material that has adhered to theouter electrode 14 is cured. The solder-resistance film 19 is similarlyattached to the end surface portion of the other end surface 15 andother portions of the upper surface 8, the lower surface 9, and the sidesurfaces 16.

The monolithic capacitor 10 according to the first preferred embodimentcan be appropriately modified with respect to the position or the shapeof the solder-repellent portions 17. FIG. 3 illustrates a monolithiccapacitor according to an exemplary modification of the first preferredembodiment in which the solder-repellent portions 17 are modified.

In FIG. 3, when the monolithic capacitor 10 is viewed from one of theside surfaces 16, a solder-repellent portion 17A is arranged so as toextend over a middle portion of the side surface portion of thecorresponding outer electrode 14. The solder-repellent portion 17A isarranged over the side surface portion of the corresponding outerelectrode 14 by attaching a solder-resistant film 19A having a stripshape extending lengthwise to the outer electrode 14. Solder-receivableportions 18A are located on two opposed sides of the solder-repellentportion 17A in the vertical direction so as to sandwich thesolder-repellent portion 17A. Also in this modification, thesolder-repellent portion 17A is configured such that upper and lowerportions of the solder-repellent portion 17A are symmetrical with eachother and the solder-receivable portions 18A are also configured suchthat upper and lower ones of the solder-receivable portions 18A aresymmetrical with each other.

Each solder-resistant film 19A is configured so as to extend over aportion of some of the dielectric ceramic layers 11 on the side surfaces16 of the laminate body 13. Consequently, the solder-resistant film 19Ais firmly adhered to the laminate body 13 and the solder-repellentportion 17A is less likely to be displaced or detached under hightemperature conditions, such as during soldering.

The above-described first preferred embodiment and exemplarymodification do not limit the present invention defined in the claimsand can be modified in various manners within the scope of the presentinvention. Although a typical monolithic capacitor 10 is described as anon-limiting example in the first preferred embodiment, preferredembodiments of the present invention are applicable not only to amonolithic capacitor 10 including two outer electrodes 14 but also to athree-terminal monolithic capacitor having three outer electrodes 14,for example. In addition, preferred embodiments of the present inventionare applicable not only to the monolithic capacitor 10 but also togeneral monolithic ceramic electronic components, including a monolithicLC filter, for example.

Second Preferred Embodiment

In a monolithic capacitor 20 according to a second preferred embodimentof the present invention, the outer electrodes 14 themselves are notsubjected to a molten-solder repelling process. Components that are thesame as those in the first preferred embodiment are not described indetail below.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, each solder-repellent portion 27 is arrangedover all or substantially all of the end surface portion of thecorresponding outer electrode 14 and a portion of the upper surfaceportion, the lower surface portion, and the side surface portions of theouter electrode 14. Each solder-repellent portion 27 is provided byoxidizing a desired portion of the corresponding outer electrode 14.This oxidization prevents molten solder from adhering to thesolder-repellent portion 27. A solder-receivable portion 28 is definedas a portion of the outer electrode 14 excluding the solder-repellentportion 27. The solder-receivable portion 28 is a portion of the outerelectrode 14 that is not oxidized and that is exposed to the outside.Preferably, the solder-repellent portion 27 is configured such thatupper and lower portions of the solder-repellent portion 27 aresymmetrical with each other and the solder-receivable portion 28 is alsoconfigured such that the upper and lower portions of thesolder-receivable portion 28 are symmetrical with each other.

In the monolithic capacitor 20 according to the second preferredembodiment, molten solder does not adhere to any portion of the endsurfaces 15 or to the portion of the upper surface 8, the lower surface9, and the side surfaces 16 covered by the solder-repellant portion 27.Thus, expansion and contraction that occurs as a result of applicationof an AC voltage is not substantially transmitted to the circuit board1. Consequently, vibrations of the circuit board 1 are reduced andacoustic noise is less likely to be generated. Further, since the moltensolder adheres to the solder-receivable portions 28 of the outerelectrodes 14, fillets 3 are provided so as to connect thesolder-receivable portions 28 to the circuit board 1, thus securelyconnecting the monolithic capacitor 20 and the circuit board 1 together.

Each solder-repellent portion 27 is preferably formed by fixing themonolithic capacitor 20 to a jig and then irradiating the correspondingouter electrode 14 with a laser beam, for example. By being irradiatedwith a laser beam, the surface of the outer electrode 14 is oxidized.The monolithic capacitor 20 made by the method including the oxidizationprocess can achieve the same effects as those achieved by the monolithiccapacitor 10 according to the first preferred embodiment withoutincluding another component, such as the solder-resistant film 19.

As in the case of the monolithic capacitor 10 according to the firstpreferred embodiment, the monolithic capacitor 20 according to thesecond preferred embodiment can be appropriately modified with regard tothe arrangement and the shape of the solder-repellent portions 27 andthe solder-receivable portions 28.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention,therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A monolithic ceramic electronic componentcomprising: a ceramic laminate body including dielectric ceramic layersand internal electrodes alternately stacked on top of one another, theceramic laminate body including an outer periphery defined by an uppersurface, a lower surface, two side surfaces, and two end surfaces thatare perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the upper surface,the lower surface, and the two side surfaces; and an outer electrodedisposed on one of the two end surfaces and portions of the upper andlower surfaces and portions of the two side surfaces that are continuouswith the one of the two end surfaces so as to be electrically connectedto the internal electrodes; wherein the outer electrode includes asolder-repellent portion to which molten solder does not adhere and asolder-receivable portion to which the molten solder adheres; thesolder-repellent portion includes a main portion that extends over allor substantially all of a portion of the outer electrode provided overthe one of the two end surfaces and strip-shaped portions extending atleast partially over portions of the outer electrode provided over theportions of the two side surfaces; the solder-receivable portion isprovided in a portion of the outer electrode excluding thesolder-repellent portion; and a dimension of each of the strip-shapedportions extending in a direction from the upper surface to the lowersurface is less than a dimension of the main portion extending in thedirection from the upper surface to the lower surface.
 2. The monolithicceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein when adirection in which the dielectric ceramic layers and internal electrodesare stacked defines a vertical direction of the monolithic ceramicelectronic component, the solder-receivable portion includes upper andlower portions extending in the vertical direction that are symmetricalwith each other.
 3. The monolithic ceramic electronic componentaccording to claim 1, wherein the solder-repellent portion includes asolder-resistant film attached to the outer electrode.
 4. The monolithicceramic electronic component according to claim 3, wherein thesolder-resistant film is made of a heat-resistant resin that is notdeformed at a soldering temperature.
 5. The monolithic ceramicelectronic component according to claim 1, wherein the solder-repellentportion is defined by an oxidized portion of the outer electrode.
 6. Themonolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, whereinthe solder-receivable portion is provided in a portion of the outerelectrode that is exposed to outside.
 7. The monolithic ceramicelectronic component according to claim 1, wherein when a direction inwhich the dielectric ceramic layers and the internal electrodes arestacked defines a vertical direction of the monolithic ceramicelectronic component, the solder-repellant portion includes upper andlower portions extending in the vertical direction that are symmetricalwith each other.
 8. The monolithic ceramic electronic componentaccording to claim 1, wherein the outer electrode includes three layersmade of copper, nickel, and tin, respectively, or three layers made ofcopper, nickel, and gold, respectively.
 9. The monolithic ceramicelectronic component according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric layersare made of a ferroelectric material.
 10. The monolithic ceramicelectronic component according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric layersare made of barium titanate.
 11. The monolithic ceramic electroniccomponent according to claim 1, wherein the internal electrodes are madeof silver-palladium.
 12. The monolithic ceramic electronic componentaccording to claim 1, wherein the solder-receivable portion includesupper and lower portions disposed above and below the strip-shapedportions.
 13. A monolithic electronic component comprising: a laminatebody including dielectric ceramic layers and internal electrodesalternately stacked on top of one another, and an outer peripherydefined by an upper surface, a lower surface, two side surfaces, and twoend surfaces that are perpendicular or substantially perpendicular tothe upper surface, the lower surface, and the two side surfaces; and anouter electrode disposed on one of the two end surfaces and portions ofthe upper and lower surfaces and portions of the two side surfaces thatare continuous with the one of the two end surfaces so as to beelectrically connected to the internal electrodes; wherein the outerelectrode includes a solder-repellent portion to which molten solderdoes not adhere and a solder-receivable portion to which the moltensolder adheres; the solder-repellent portion includes a main portionthat extends over all or substantially all of a portion of the outerelectrode provided over the one of the two end surfaces and strip-shapedportions extending at least partially over portions of the outerelectrode provided over the two side surfaces; the solder-receivableportion is arranged to partially extend over the portions of the outerelectrode provided over the portions of the two side surfaces; and adimension of each of the strip-shaped portions extending in a directionfrom the upper surface to the lower surface is less than a dimension ofthe main portion extending in the direction from the upper surface tothe lower surface.
 14. The monolithic ceramic electronic componentaccording to claim 13, wherein when a direction in which the dielectricceramic layers and the internal electrodes are stacked defines avertical direction of the monolithic ceramic electronic component, thesolder-receivable portion includes upper and lower portions extending inthe vertical direction that are symmetrical with each other.
 15. Themonolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 13, whereinwhen a direction in which the dielectric ceramic layers and the internalelectrodes are stacked defines a vertical direction of the monolithicceramic electronic component, the solder-repellant portion includesupper and lower portions extending in the vertical direction that aresymmetrical with each other.
 16. The monolithic ceramic electroniccomponent according to claim 13, wherein the solder-repellent portion isdefined by a solder-resistant film attached to the outer electrode. 17.The monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 16,wherein the solder-resistant film is made of a heat-resistant resin thatis not deformed at a soldering temperature.
 18. The monolithic ceramicelectronic component according to claim 13, wherein the solder-repellentportion is defined by an oxidized portion of the outer electrode. 19.The monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 13,wherein the solder-receivable portion is provided in a portion of theouter electrode that is exposed to outside.
 20. The monolithic ceramicelectronic component according to claim 13, wherein thesolder-receivable portion includes upper and lower portions disposedabove and below the strip-shaped portions.